Good Morning, Friend

I hope you're having a great week. If you followed me in with my Steward's Cup pokes hopefully you snaffled 6 places, Significantly just hanging on for some sort of small return on the race, but that's as good as it got, in horrendous conditions.

A few recent eye-catchers below, all from the jumps, but first...

5.20 Ponte - Golden Apollo - 8/1 - EW

I had a flick through Pontefract's card and this is where today's pin landed for interest. He's back on his last winning mark, which was a CD victory last September, when drawn wide, held up, challenging wide and swooping to victory, front two well clear. That race produced a few subsequent winners also - it could be he benefitted from a pace burn up but while they won't go as quick here I doubt, they should go an ok gallop and he's much better drawn. I think a stiff 6f is ideal for him, I'm not sure he stays a strongly run/big field 7f.

While he's not getting any younger, he won on his 7th start last season (this is his 7th start) and he's 2/5,3p over the CD - I thought that IF he was to bounce back to winning form as a 9YO, it may well be here, and connections 'could' have pencilled this race in. His run at York was ok last time, drawn in the car-park without much choice, but some headway up the straight before flattening out over that 7f. He doesn't want proper soft so the run before that can be ignored, but his Ayr effort was good, beaten 1l by a horse bringing up a hat-trick, and he was arguably drawn on the wrong side there, marooned up the middle a bit, winner coming up the stand-side having had a better tow into the race also.

He's a former 2019 Ayr Silver Cup winner and if he bounced back to his very best of last season, would be in the top 3 for sure, and after that, well, who knows! I did think he looked 'the' overpriced one, to my eyes anyway. Of course, he could just be regressive now, this should tell us, but at the prices, I'll roll the dice for a bit of interest.

I respect International Girl and wouldn't fall over in shock if these two fought it out. 7/2 or so looks about right for her, hopefully the 10lb i'm receiving helps, for all her younger legs will help.

Corinthia Knight won this race last year and is 15lb below that winning mark, which the market appears well aware of. I didn't think 5s was overpriced as such and to my eyes just looks regressive - I could be wrong there but he can beat me at that price. Evidently if he bounced back to last year's form, this lot could be in bother on these terms.

*

Eye-Catchers

Enniskerry - moved well in the Galway Plate I thought, not far off them after 2 out and his jockey one of the last to move. He was challenging for 3rd 1.5f from home, before his run flattened out in the final 1/2f, suggesting he didn't stay. It looks like he's been hard to train but hopefully comes out of this race fine. This race suggested a flatter/stronger run 2m4f or so might be his optimum but he moved like he's got a handicap chase in him from this sort of mark, and jumped well.

Party Central - a losing poke of mine in the Galway Hurdle. I've watched it again and she was moving well approaching 2 out, just creeping into it, before walking through that hurdle and losing all chance. Her jockey went easy on her after that. Assuming she'd have found for pressure, I think she'd have been in the places, but maybe would have been challenging from too far back for win purposes. She's lightly raced as a handicap hurdle and shaped here as if there could be a strongly run 2m handicap in her, maybe at a more galloping track/wider expanse.

Saint Arvans - 2nd to my winner Brief Times, I thought this was a big run, and suggested he still remained in fine form - he's arguably always open to attack from a more progressive rival, as he was here, but he was the only one to get near him of those ridden more patiently, and he beat the rest well enough. 3m on good ground appears his optimum and he's one to keep an eye on. You don't always bump into a Brief Times during the summer jumps, and i'd like to think they can get another win out of him before the ground turns again. Of course these runs will catch up with him at some point but worth noting.

As is Honey I'm Good from the same race, she ran ok in 4th here, held up which is never ideal around here, but looking a bit outclassed also. This was so much deeper than the two races she'd hacked up in previously but it was the run of an in-form mare and she can race in much weaker races than this. She's got another chase win or two in her at her level.

Grey Skies moved well also, a patient ride from Hughes, too patient maybe, but a chance he wasn't sure on his 3m stamina under rules - he took a while to warm up but then moved well into the race turning in, before flattening. A run that suggested he didn't stay 3m and he could be dangerous back down to a strongly run 2m4f, back to Perth maybe. Given his chase profile you'd think he's got more summer handicaps in him also.

*

Our Via Electriano runs in the 7.30 Kempton this evening.

On another day she'd have won on her debut, which was here, with various excuses since, as is the way with racehorses. I'll be honest, I don't really know what to expect, and it's a nursery handicap - probably the hardest handicaps there are to analyse - everything open to progress and developing at different rates, plenty making handicap debut, first run on the AW, moving up in distance, down in class and so on. It's going to click for one of these, hopefully us!

She ran well at Bath 5 days ago - well, she looked to be badly outpaced in the middle part having travelled well to a point, went into 3rd at one stage, before that effort told. We're heading back to Kempton, where she nearly won on debut, and we think this CD could suit her well. She's drawn in 3 so should bounce out and get a handy position, and we've booked Tom Marquand, so no excuses there!

I simply don't know if this mark is a gift or not, some of her form suggests it is workable, and she drops into a handicap for the first time. This is much calmer waters than some of her recent efforts. IF she bounced back to her best and improved for conditions, we're hopeful of a big run, but I've no idea if something in here is lobbed in from their mark, so hard to tell in these races, or is that just me?! Obviously she's running just 5 days later - some sprinters back up just fine, others run flat, esp as 2YOs. All the signs at home are good but if she falls in a hole, then clearly it's come too quick. 7s EW is fair enough I think, but as I said, anything could happen here and plenty of educated guesswork. If anyone wins money long term betting in nursery handicaps, I doff my cap!

We've also just bought an ex-Irish pointer who we plan to win a point to point with in November before sending to Mark Walford up in Yorkshire - we thought it about time we had a horse 'up north' and we'll find out soon enough what interest there is in this new venture. He's a lovely 5YO chestnut out of Soldier Of Fortune (and a Presenting mare), a winter chaser of the future, superb jumper, half brother to a multiple winner rated 130+ and so on. Exciting times. If the idea of a northern trained jumps horse excites you, and one who'll mainly race in the north, do keep an eye on in the next week or three. We'd love to have you onboard!

*

That's all for today. It may be a quiet enough rest of the week and for the next 10 days or so.

It's my Birthday tomorrow (34, not sure where the time goes, but I know there won't be many violins being played out there!) and i'll be having the day off. I've got my annual birthday bash on Saturday also, which i've held every year since I was 16 and I'm doing my best to keep it going. I'm then off for a short break next Thursday-Sunday, at which point on my return it's all systems go-go-go, especially with my Members Club which I plan to kick-start for 1st September all being well. And we've got a few shares in horses to sell also. It really is THE great game :)

Anyway, I'll be in touch as and when but it may be quieter in the next 10 days than it usually is, we shall see. I'll do my best to send the odd item of interest out.

As always, GL with any bets,

Josh